logo
How to Use Markdown

How to Use Markdown

WIRED01-07-2025
When writing on the web or posting in online communities like Reddit and Discord, your posts can be formatted using the plaintext coding system called Markdown. Here are the basics. Illustration: Jacqui VanLiew
Whether you're posting on Reddit, Discord, or Github, there's only one way to add formatting: Markdown. If you want to add a link, bold some text, or even split text into paragraphs, you will need to know the basics of this text-based formatting system.
Does that sound scary? Trust me, it's not. Markdown has just a few rules for formatting text the way you want, and you only need to learn the rules for the formatting you actually use.
Let's go over the simple rules, talk about why Markdown is useful, then take a look at a few resources you can use to go further with Markdown. The Basics of Markdown
Markdown is a way to apply rich formatting to plaintext by adding certain characters to it. On platforms like Discord or Reddit, where messages are short and relatively simple, you really only need to learn a few basics: To italicize text, put an asterisk before and after it, *like this*
text, put an asterisk before and after it, *like this* To bold text, put two asterisks before and after it, **like this**
text, put two asterisks before and after it, **like this** To include a link, put the text of the link in square brackets followed immediately by the URL in parentheses, [Like this](https://justinpot.com/)
To add an image, start with an exclamation point, with the square bracket containing a description of the image, and the parentheses containing a link to an image file, ![Like this](https://justinpot.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/ima_02d2bc6.jpg)
To start a new paragraph, hit Enter twice, so that there's a clear line between the current line of text and the next one.
The above five tips are more than enough for things like Reddit and Discord. Even though you're typing what looks like code, when your post is published, all you'll see is the rich-text formatting, complete with links and images.
If you're using Markdown to write entire documents, though, you're going to need a few document-specific tools. Here are the key ones: To make a header (like the large-font text 'The Basics of Markdown' seen above on this article) start a line of text with a pound sign followed by a space, # Like this.
To make smaller headers, use more pound signs, ## Like this for h2 or ### Like this for h3, and so on. The more pound signs you add, the smaller your header text will be.
To create a bulleted list, simply start a line of text with an asterisk followed by a space, * Like this. You can add as many bulleted lines to your list as you want.
To indent a list item, put a tab before the asterisk. To indent further, simply add more tabs.
To create a numbered list, start a line of text with a number and a period, 1. Like this.
To indent a numbered list item, add a tab before the number. To indent further, simply add more tabs.
To add a block quote to your document, simply start a link of text with a 'greater than' sign, > like this.
That covers most of what you need to know in order to write a document in Markdown. If you're confused about how this formatting will look, it helps to play around and see the results. A great website to do this on is MarkdownLivePreview.com. The left panel shows the Markdown while the right side shows how that will look. Try different things there for a bit and you'll feel a lot more comfortable. Why Use Markdown at All?
This all might have you asking: Why are sites forcing people to learn a slightly esoteric way to format text? And the answer is that this system, even if a little bit confusing at first, is very straightforward and clear once you get used to it.
Most people get used to writing on a computer using tools like Microsoft Word or Google Docs. There are both word processors, meaning they are built to represent a printed page on your screen. They also both are called 'what you see is what you get' editors—or WYSIWYG editors—meaning that the formatting is shown on the screen directly. If you bold some text, you see it as bold on the screen; if you add a link, you see the linked text get underlined and turn blue like it would on a web page. There is no way to tell, by looking at the text itself, where bolding begins and ends or what the destination of the link is.
This might seem intuitive, and to be fair there is a simplicity to it. But that simplicity is made possible by code that the user does not see, and the fact that the code is kept behind the scenes can be confusing in some ways. Anyone who has tried to add a few words to the end of a link, or right after a link, knows that this ambiguity can be frustrating—you'll end up either accidentally making the link longer than you intended, or doing the opposite and adding text that's not linked. This doesn't happen while writing in Markdown because you can clearly see where all the formatting begins and ends.
Markdown files are also future-proof. Because all of the text formatting, linking, and document structure schema is written in plaintext, a format that hasn't changed in decades and isn't owned by any one company, you can be reasonably certain that anyone who finds a Markdown file in 50 years is going to be able to make sense of it. The same can't be said about Microsoft Office files.
And, finally, there's speed. I personally find writing in Markdown a lot faster. I've used it for thousands of articles published online at many publications, including the one you're reading now. As I write, I appreciate that I can do all of my formatting without using menus and toolbars, and without even moving my fingers from the keyboard. As an editor, I appreciate knowing exactly where formatting begins and ends.
You can argue whether this is worth the trade-offs of the more familiar WYSIWYG editor, and many people have. But for many, myself included, Markdown is simpler to use while writing for the web. Apps and Resources
This article is intended as an introduction to Markdown, not a full guide. If you want to learn more, I highly recommend checking out MarkdownGuide.org, a website that takes the time to walk you through how Markdown works and why you might want to use it.
The real fun, though, comes when you start playing with Markdown editors. I mentioned MarkdownLivePreview.com, and that's a great starting point. There are also excellent editors for your computer. Typora is a very nice $15 application that lets you type in Markdown and see the formatting in real time. The very popular (and free) note-taking application Obsidian, which I personally use for writing and productivity, works the same way but with a lot more bells and whistles. Or, if you want something simple for editing single files, Markedit is quite good on the Mac, and MarkDownPad works well on Windows.
Learning Markdown is a bit of work up front, granted, but it can really speed up writing once you get used to it—and the right tools make it easier.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

RDDT STOCK UPDATE: Reddit, Inc. (NYSE:RDDT) is being Sued for Securities Fraud – Contact BFA Law by August 18 Class Action Deadline
RDDT STOCK UPDATE: Reddit, Inc. (NYSE:RDDT) is being Sued for Securities Fraud – Contact BFA Law by August 18 Class Action Deadline

Business Upturn

time4 hours ago

  • Business Upturn

RDDT STOCK UPDATE: Reddit, Inc. (NYSE:RDDT) is being Sued for Securities Fraud – Contact BFA Law by August 18 Class Action Deadline

NEW YORK, July 26, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Leading securities law firm Bleichmar Fonti & Auld LLP announces that a lawsuit has been filed against Reddit, Inc. (NYSE: RDDT) and certain of the Company's senior executives for potential violations of the federal securities laws. If you invested in Reddit, you are encouraged to obtain additional information by visiting: Investors have until August 18, 2025, to ask the Court to be appointed to lead the case. The complaint asserts claims under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 on behalf of investors who purchased Reddit securities. The case is pending in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California and is captioned Tamraz, Jr. v. Reddit, Inc., at al. , No. 25-cv-05144. Why was Reddit Sued for Securities Fraud? Reddit owns and operates the eponymous social news aggregation, forum, and social media platform. Reddit receives a significant portion of its user traffic from individuals seeking answers to questions using Google Search. The complaint alleges that Reddit misrepresented and downplayed the impact that Google's use of Artificial Intelligence ('AI') technology in Google's search results had on Reddit's user growth. In truth, Google's use of AI dented Reddit's user growth by eliminating the need for individuals to visit and click through to Reddit to get answers to their questions. Rather, the answers appeared through Google's AI search results. The Stock Declines as the Truth is Revealed On May 1, 2025, Reddit reported a significant slowdown in daily active user growth. On this news, the price of Reddit stock declined $4.96 per share, or more than 4%, from $118.79 per share on May 1, 2025, to $113.83 per share on May 2, 2025. Then, on May 21, 2025, Wall Street analyst Baird cut its Reddit stock price target over concerns that Google's AI capabilities are stifling Reddit's user growth. On this news, the price of Reddit stock fell $9.79 per share, or over 9%, from $105.64 per share on May 20, 2025, to $95.85 per share on May 21, 2025. Click here for more information: What Can You Do? If you invested in Reddit you may have legal options and are encouraged to submit your information to the firm. All representation is on a contingency fee basis, there is no cost to you. Shareholders are not responsible for any court costs or expenses of litigation. The firm will seek court approval for any potential fees and expenses. Submit your information by visiting: Or contact:Ross Shikowitz [email protected] 212.789.3619

What are the UK's new age verification laws?
What are the UK's new age verification laws?

Tom's Guide

time12 hours ago

  • Tom's Guide

What are the UK's new age verification laws?

As of July 25, 2025, if you're attempting to access adult content online in the UK, you'll need to verify your age to do so. This is due to new child online safety laws which are attempting to prevent minors from accessing inappropriate content online. However, many people within the UK are turning to some of the best VPNs in order to circumvent these laws by spoofing their location to another country. This is due to questions regarding the safety of the new laws, with worries about the integrity of their personal data called into question. Protect your personal data with the #1 UK VPN: NordVPNBased on our testing, NordVPN is the best VPN for the UK. This is down to its rock-solid security and privacy, excellent speeds and ability to unblock just about every site you're after. Plus, you can get it up to 76% off right now, with prices starting from £2.31 per month for a two-year subscription. Plus, you can even get an Amazon gift card worth up to £50 if you sign up to NordVPN's Plus or Complete memberships. This new law is part of the Online Safety Act which aims to prevent minors from accessing content that may be harmful to them. This includes sites that host adult content, including social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter), Reddit, and Bluesky. All these sites are now required by law to block minors from accessing inappropriate content by introducing "robust" age verification techniques. Under the Online Safety Act, companies that fail to introduce these measures may be fined 10 percent of their qualifying worldwide revenue or up to £18 million ($24 million), whichever is greater. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. In extreme cases, if the courts allow, Ofcom will also be able to prevent sites from generating money or being accessed from the UK by requiring internet service providers, payment providers and advertisers stop working with them. The age verification techniques used will very from site to site. However, they will need to be "technically accurate, robust, reliable and fair" in order to fit the requirements set out in the Online Safety Act. For example, X has stated that it will use a selfie-based age verification system that uses its own AI model in order to verify users' ages. On the other hand, Reddit (which introduced age verification to its UK site on the 14 July ahead of the law being introduced) has used external company Persona to verify users' ages either age estimation via selfie or birth date verification via a picture of their government ID. Other verification techniques include providing your credit card details and having your age verified by a payment processor, or providing your email address and having it checked against other online services (e.g. banking providers) to estimate your age. No matter which age verification techniques a site uses, it has still sparked concerns from users about their data being stored or saved without their permission, as well as the potential ramifications of a data breach or leak. Other concerns also include the fact that users accessing certain types of content simply do not want the sites to know anything about them. The new age verification laws in the UK have had many searching for the best UK VPNs to avoid them due to concerns regarding their personal data and how it will be used to verify their age. This is because VPNs can be used to get around location-specific content blocks by virtually relocation you to a different country. A VPN does this by routing your internet traffic through an encrypted tunnel between your device and a VPN server. This masks your IP address and your location as well as keeping your internet traffic safe from prying eyes. We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

UK's New Age Verification Requirement Thwarted in the Simplest Way Imaginable
UK's New Age Verification Requirement Thwarted in the Simplest Way Imaginable

Gizmodo

time18 hours ago

  • Gizmodo

UK's New Age Verification Requirement Thwarted in the Simplest Way Imaginable

Earlier this week, the United Kingdom's age assurance requirement for sites that publish pornographic material went into effect, which has resulted in everything from Pornhub to Reddit and Discord displaying an age verification panel when users attempt to visit. There's just one little problem. As The Verge notes, all it takes to defeat the age-gating is a VPN, and those aren't hard to come by these days. Here's the deal: Ofcom, the UK's telecom regulator, requires online platforms to verify the age of their users if they are accessing a site that either publishes or allows users to publish pornographic material. Previously, a simple click of an 'I am over 18' button would get you in. Now, platforms are mandated to use a verification method that is 'strong' and 'highly effective.' A few of those acceptable methods include verifying with a credit card, uploading a photo ID, or submitting to a 'facial age estimation' in which you upload a selfie so a machine can determine if you look old enough to pleasure yourself responsibly. Those options vary from annoying to creepily intrusive, but there's a little hitch in the plan: Currently, most platforms are determining a user's location based on IP address. If you have an IP that places you in the UK, you have to verify. But if you don't, you're free to browse without interruption. And all you need to change your IP address is a VPN. Ofcom seems aware of this very simple workaround. According to the BBC, the regulator has rules that make it illegal for platforms to host, share, or allow content that encourages people to use a VPN to bypass the age authentication page. It also encouraged parents to block or control VPN usage by their children to keep them from dodging the age checkers. It seems that people are aware of this option. Google Trends shows that searches for the term 'VPN' have skyrocketed in the UK since the age verification requirement went into effect. There are certainly valid arguments for limiting the access of adult material online to keep kids from seeing it, including the fact that accessing such material has been shown in studies to increase sexual objectification of partners, produce more stereotypical beliefs about gender roles, and lead to more sexual aggression. But the thing about Ofcom's implementation here is that it's not just blocking kids from seeing harmful material—it's exposing everyone to invasive, privacy-violating risks. When the methods for accomplishing the stated goal require people to reveal sensitive data, including their financial information, or give up pictures of their face to be scanned and processed by AI, it's kinda hard to blame anyone for just wanting to avoid that entirely. Whether they're horny teens trying to skirt the system or adults, getting a face scan before opening Pornhub kinda kills the mood.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store